The twisting of a soft Danish pastry dough into what is known as a "spiral twist" is a relatively difficult task. Existing procedures for twisting the dough involve time consuming manual work or the use of equipment which subjects the soft dough to rather harsh treatment which requires the use of a substantial amount of dusting powder and which results in a substantial amount of waste material. Accordingly, there is a need to provide apparatus and methods capable of twisting dough and the like in a manner which avoids the disadvantages mentioned above.